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SUSTAINABILITY

OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY: ENVIRONMENTALLY, LOCALLY, SOCIALLY

In 2014, Mitchell's chose an old silent movie theater in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood to build their eighth Shop and Production Kitchen. In renovating the space, we adopted environmentally-sustainable practices:

Solar Panels line our rooftop, generating 18,000 Watts on a sunny day. This is enough power to illuminate all the lights and operate the freezers and refrigerators in the retail shop.

Sky Lights increase natural light for the health of our team members and it also reduces the amount of electrical energy consumed by spotlights. Sensors are installed in the ceiling detect the amount of natural light coming in and adjusts the brightness of spotlights accordingly.

Most of our woodwork and furniture is custom-made using locally reclaimed wood, some which came from the building’s original ceilings! The first-floor tables use recycled steel (44steel) and the chairs are made from plastic bottles (111 coke).

Waste Heat from our large ice cream freezers is recycled and used to heat the hot water throughout the building.

Water Conservation includes water-saving faucets, permeable pavers (which allow rain to seep into the ground rather than flow into the sewers), and water-efficient kitchen equipment also help to minimize wastewater.

Rainwater Harvesting System* This system redirects the flow of rainwater from Mitchell’s rooftop (which is 7,800 square feet!) to a 10,000-gallon underground cistern, in order to re-use the water, rather than sending it to a storm sewer. The “gray water” that is collected is filtered and sterilized with ultraviolet light. Then it is used in Mitchell’s restrooms, waters the plants outside, and is used to temper the 180° water from our dishwasher. About 630 gallons of gray water are used at the Ohio City Kitchen & Shop every day!

above: our rooftop solar panels

ENVIRONMENTALLY

We avoid practices that harm human health, plants, and animals, as well as practices that deplete the Earth's limited resources. We also aim to make our business and lives align with methods that make our world—locally and globally—better and healthier.

LOCALLY

Cleveland is a beautiful, thriving, and interesting place and we want to be a part of that unique character. Our region has incredible talent—from farmers to photographers—and so we utilize good and services from our community whenever we can.

SOCIALLY

We value Mitchells' team members who are in our Shops every day. We strive to learn, grow, and develop together.

*The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District provided a Green Infrastructure Grant to support our unique rain-harvesting system at the Ohio City Kitchen & Shop. The Sewer District’s Watershed Programs staff provided technical assistance and oversight for the project.